On my mind these days is my next safari in March.  I’m leading a private safari focusing on Wild Dogs and Rhinos in Kenya.  Operating exclusively in private conversation areas, off-roading and foot tracking will be the order of the day as we strive for outstanding up close and personal photography of these wonderful subjects.  We will also be spending time with a local Samburu Village for some wonderful travel shots.  Below is a shot from my recent trip to the Mara Plains area.  Place this in Google Earth to see where the image was taken at:

1 24.12921S, 35 8.3947E , elev 5182ft.

Drinking in the Mara

Nikon D3s, 200-400 VR @ 200mm, ISO 320, f/8 at 1/320 sec

Cheers and happy photoing.

I’m going to be taking a couple of weeks off, so no (or limited) posting for the next two weeks unless I sneak a photo or two in.

Meanwhile, some exciting news:  I will be leading a photo safari for the Smithsonian into Tanzania next December.  This will be an exciting adventure and will put me in the bush for Christmas for the first time.  You can read about December Smithsonian Photo Safari here.

1. When your taxi driver does not speak English, Swahili, or Arabic and you do not speak Hindi, there is a very good chance that you will not arrive at your desired destination without of lots of effort (rush).  No, I’m NOT going to learn Hindi (Dubai).
2. Dropping your Nikon 14-24mm lens on asphalt in the middle of the night….yes, the open bag hot air syndrome again…Ouch.  Bounce went the Nikon and off to Melville for repairs upon my return (Dubai).
3. Letting the driver put your camera gear in the back of the bus (should always go on your lap).  The transfer drivers always want to be most helpful however, lots of bags moving around in the dark of night made for unnecessary risks (Kenya).
4. Hyperdrive transfer with the new Delkin 16GB COMBAT Drive (could not read the CF card) – needs a firmware fix. Lexar cardreader could read the card.
5. One day delay from United caused us to miss several planned photographic opportunities in Dubai.  Better to have a 6 hour overlay and make the connection than to have a two hour overlay and miss an entire day and night of travel.
6. Moving camera equipment from hotel room to conditions of high humidity and high heat, serious fogging.  Need to allow plenty of time for temp changes between shoots (Dubai).
7. Do not surrender your camera bag to hotel staff (Dubai, Kenya) ;   they don’t understand your investment.  God gave us shoulders to carry our camera gear.

That’s the very last trip update for this past trip, yes is has taken some time to get to here.  What a great adventure and most importantly, a fun time was had by all with plenty of stories to go around.

Cheers and happy photo’ing.

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm @ 65mm, f/6.3, ISO 800 at 1/200 sec, 6 images stitched together.

Cheers and happy photo’ing

That Safari Grin

The top fifteen tips or observations of what worked well on the last safari:

1. Ramadan did not pose a problem while in Dubai.  Before you go, spend time learning to work around cultural events in foreign countries.
2. While Fairview was nice and always my first choice for lodging in Kenya however, you need to stay in the main building (rooms 3 and 5).
3. Transfers with additional camera equipment between Kenya and Tanzania with Precision Air, was relatively painless.
4. All coordinated transfers were painless.
5. Packing and planning well in advance for differing conditions reduced shooting stress.
6. Mobile camp at Senera (unit) was really special – fast response by Thomson’s to alter location to better support photography clients (BIG PLUS – these guys are simply the best).
7. Mobile camp at Kekogona was perfect for northern work and river crossings.
8. Inverters in the trucks are great support.
9. Amod tracking device was flawless, and worked well on rechargeable batteries.
10. Hyperspace worked great, less the combat card issue and having one of the units dropped which fractured the hard drive connection point.
11. Jerimah Beach Hotel in Dubai is THE place to stay (not cheapest)
12. The maps that Thomson’s provided was used often buy all of the travelers – great resource.
13. Difficult but rewarding hike up the side of Mount Meru.  This was an optional trip for some of my travelers.  Great to do if you are in shape.
14. English-Swahili ‘Useful Phrases, TMP Book Department – TABORA’ – the best book I’ve seen thus far.
15. A visit to Shangaa, was rewarding as usual.

Cheers and happy photo’ing

Nikon D3S, 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm, ISO 6400, 1/25 sec at f/5.0 (hand held)

This image was taken here.  Yes, I shot this at ISO 6400 and hand held it at 1/25 sec and without any noise treatment or color correction – straight out of the box, as they say.  I have been shooting with the D3S as my primary body (D3 is my  backup) for more than two years now and I continue to be amazed at the low noise and its ability to capture fine details in low light.  This camera really causes me to push the limits when it comes to shooting in low light conditions.  Controlled breathing, strong abs, and solid camera holding positions are the keys to getting images like this.  Remember, I am shooting upward at a sign that is over my head and therefore you will see just a bit of angular distortion.  I love the colors of the warm light and the details in the post.  A slight angular tilt of the camera added some emphasis to the lines.

Cheers and happy photo’ing

Over the next few postings, I’ll be hitting the highlights of what worked on the trip as well as what did not work or is in need of further exploration.  For today, it’s all about those precious quotable quotes from the field.  On every safari, there are always one liners that need to be remembered.  So here are some of the beauts from the trip:

Kenya: To our driver: Who lives in the large nice houses? Response: “Only the corrupt people.”

Tanzania: Is that a lion or an Ostrich with a tail?

“Haraka Haraka Hyena Baraka”

Warning: Elephants running toward you ARE closer than they appear in your lens.

Is someone going to give us a class on scat identification?  There is a nice pile of something over there.

My tent was next to the parade of ants.

Beware of women carrying hoes….I did not take her picture, see……

Kale kakuku kadogo kako kwako kaka (Swahili tongue twister: Is the little chicken at your place my brother?)

Simba mwenda pole ndio mla nyama (A lion that walks slowly is the one who is successful)

Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea.

Always drink upstream from the herd.

—————-

Cheers and happy photo’ing

Clear skies in the early am, with smog and heavy haze developing soon after 1100.

Today was another full day after our overnight at the Fairview Hotel.  The Fairview is my favorite hotel in Nairobi. Not easy to get to and located next to the Israeli Embassy, I think it is one of the most secure hotels in Nairobi – which is not a bad thing. The grounds are lush and the architecture is aged red brick with classic overtones from the days of the British.  Departing early, we were off to Giraffe Center to get a special kiss from a Rothschild Giraffe. The three most common species of giraffes in Kenya are Masai, Reticulated, and the rare Rothschild.  The Rothschild are best identified by their white ‘boots’ that they wear.  By this I mean they have white coloration (no markings) on their feet from the top of their hooves to just below the kneecap.

The Rothschild Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi)  is among the most endangered giraffe subspecies with only a few hundred members in the wild.[1] All of those that are living in the wild are in protected areas in Kenya and Uganda.[1]  Recently it has been proposed that the Rothschild Giraffe is actually a separate species from other giraffes and not a giraffe subspecies.[2]  While giraffes in general are classified as Least Concern, the Rothschild Giraffe is at particular risk of hybridisation, as the population is so limited in numbers.  There are very few locations where the Rothschild Giraffe can be seen in the wild, with notable spots being Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya and Murchison Falls National Park in northern Uganda.  From  Giraffe Center and at a given age, the Rothschild Giraffes are re-introduced into an area near Lake Naktau. While inter-breeding can occur, they are taking great care to insure the continued success of the Rothschild.

After spending time at Giraffe Center, it was time for lunch at Utdamani, opened by Dr. Leakey in 1960. Utdamani is a wonderful place for lunch and previewing the native products from across Kenya, not to mention a great place for some last minute quality shopping.

Steve captured a couple of fun snaps from the day. Enjoy and when your travels take you to or through Nairobi, please take time to visit this wonderful conservation facility.

Randy Getting a Special Giraffe Kiss

I Love her Facial Expressions

References: [1] Not one but ‘six giraffe species’”. BBC News Online. 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2007-12-27, Wikipedia; [2] Wilson, Don E.; Reeder, DeeAnn M., eds (2005). Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2 vols. (2142 pp.). ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0

Cheers and happy photo’ing

Clear skies in the early am, with smog and heavy haze developing soon after 1100.

Departing early, we went to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, where rescued baby elephants are cared for until they are released back into the wild. Everyone became foster parents of an elephant (or two), or renewed their foster status for another two years. While at the Trust, we made an appointment for a special event, just for foster parents later in the day; the running of the elephants.

Back for Sheldrick to participate in the elephants running to their pens for feeding.  Funny thing at the Trust, things just seem to happen very quickly and without warning.  Before we knew it, the baby elephants were running right at us, and I was NOT camera ready.  Talk about acting just like kids, shortly after being fed their special milk formula (made of vegetable material and imported from England), they instantly fell asleep.  They will wake again in three to four hours for another feeding.  While in the Trust, they are under constant 24×7 care, to the point that a handler sleeps with them, as to comfort them like a mother would.  Each handler commits to a two year program at the trust in which he seldom gets to see is ‘human’ family and are rotated among the elephants.  This rotation avoids the development of any dependency issues that the elephants might develop.

This trip included the adoption of NAIPOKI. The opening paragraph of the Naipoki’s Orphan Profile starts out: We received an early morning call from Jane Craig at 7.00 am reporting news of a tiny baby elephant that had been rescued from a well in the Namunyak Conservation Area, that was in the safe custody of Hilary and Piers of Sarara Camp. The Kenyan Wildlife Service then called having been alerted about the calf with the same news and we immediately scrambled a team of Keepers and they were at Namunyak in Northern Kenya by 10.30 am. For additional details about Naipoki check out this document which contains the  story of Naipoki.

After a full day, we started heading back to the Fairview for rest and a nice meal.  Along the way we drove by Kibera, the 2nd largest slum in Africa, with the a population estimate for this area well above 1.8 million. Although this estimate (from our guide) is several years old, the area has most certainly grown by now You can find a wide range of population estimates across the web for this area, and it you are interested, a simple Google search (images) will return a number of heart breaking images.  It was another moving sight for me, one that I am still trying to process in my mind (I remain undecided whether or not to show some of the images).

Below are some fun images from the day.  Enjoy and if you are ever in Nairobi, please take time to visit the wonderful conservation facilities of Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.  While you are there, adopt a baby elephant.

Home Sweet Home

Naipoki at feeding time

Nikon D3s, 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm, ISO 800, f/8.0 at 1/50 sec

Naipoki's handler

Nikon D3s, 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 62mm, ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/60 sec

These images were taken here